Tracing the ebb and flow of friendship

If you think you’ve read the story of four friends trying to make it in New York City already, think again. Hanya Yanagihara’s transcendent second novel is much more than its plot summary suggests. A Little Life may be the best book you read this year; it certainly will be the most heartbreaking.

Reading her way to romance

Love by the Book is a hilarious romp of a read that finds expat Lauren desperate enough to turn to the self-help shelf once her ne'er do well UK boyfriend dumps her. We asked Pimentel a few questions about fact vs. fiction, the bright side of a bad date and more.

At home with Father Tim

Millions of readers have lived, laughed and loved alongside the residents of Mitford since the 1990s. After a five-year absence, Jan Karon brings back Father Tim and Cynthia in Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.

Big buzz for a miniature mystery

British author Jessie Burton's first published book, The Miniaturist, has been building buzz in publishing circles since 2013, when it was one of the most sought-after books at the London Book Fair. Now this historical novel, set in a 17th-century Amsterdam that Burton evokes with great skill, is poised to win over readers.

When a big secret blows up

Australian author Liane Moriarity hit the bestseller list for the first time in America with her fifth novel, The Husband's Secret. Her follow up, Big Little Lies, is just as riveting and insightful. This time, the action centers on a kindergarten class, where parental tension and family secrets ignite on one fateful evening: the school's trivia night. We asked Moriarty a few question about her new book, the power of secrets and her personal mantra.

The heart of a series

World War II-era nurse Claire Randall stumbled through a stone circle into the 18th century—and straight into the hearts of readers, who have gobbled up Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series since its 1991 debut.
Gabaldon returned this summer with Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, the eighth book in the series—and this month the first book, Outlander, has been turned into a TV series that will air on Starz. We asked Gabaldon a few questions about the series and the new book.

A successful series reboot

After writing several acclaimed novels, British author Jill Paton Walsh was tapped by the Dorothy L. Sayers estate to bring back Sayers’ iconic detecting duo, Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Walsh’s fourth Wimsey/Vane mystery, The Late Scholar, has just been published.

Texting, teen lit—and Jane Austen

Scottish author Val McDermid was tapped to re-imagine Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey as part of the Austen project. We asked McDermid (best known for writing "Tartan noir" mysteries) a few questions about the challenges of bringing the book's young characters into the 21st century.

The dark side of a small town

You'll never think of small-town life the same way again after reading Laura McHugh's chilling debut. Part "Twin Peaks," part Tana French, the novel opens just after the body of 18-year-old Cheri has been found stuffed into a tree trunk. Lucy Dane may have been the troubled Cheri's only friend, and after turning up some disturbing evidence she becomes determined to track down Cheri's killer—especially since her own mother's disappearance some 15 years before has still never been solved. As Lucy's quest proceeds, she begins to unearth some of the town's darkest secrets, some of which involve her own family.

Uncovering life's mysteries

Elizabeth Gilbert makes a triumphant return to fiction with The Signature of All Things, a sweeping saga that covers centuries and continents, and stars a singular heroine: brilliant scientist Alma Whittaker.It's been a while since you wrote a book that wasn't based on your own life! Was it hard to turn back to fiction, where the...